Improvement in paddle-wheels



J. REES. PADDLE WHEEL.

No. 106,620. Patented 1mg, 23, 1870.

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Letters Patent No. 106,620, dated ingest 23, 187d.

IMPROVEMEN '1 m PADDLE-WHEELS.

he Schedule referred to in than Letters Patent and making put of the some To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES Runs, of the city of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Steamboat-DrivingJVheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification, in which- Figure lie a perspective view of my improved wheel Figure 2 is a vertical section thereof, as formed by aplaue passing through the wheel at light angles to its axle; and

Figure 3 is a plan view of a section of its outer face.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts-in each.

My invention relates to the construction of a driving-wheel for steam-boats and other like water-craft, in which the buckets are arranged on the outside ofa close barrel or cylinder, angularly to the. axis of the wheel, between flanges which project from and extend around the peliphery of the wheel, each in a plane at right angles to its axis. I

To enable others skilled'in the art to make and use my improvement, I will proceed to desoribeits constructiou and" mode of operation, and how it is distinguishable from other steam-boatdriving-wheels.

The wheel as shown is fitted up as designed for use i on a stern-wheel. boat, though withsnch changes as are well known in the art, it may equally as well he used as aside wheel.

The main shaft a and crank -b are of the usual or.

any .known construction.

From this shaft (0 any suitable frame-work extends out to and supports the outer barrel or cylinder A and the other operative parts of the wheel. This outer barrel is made of wood, such as flooring-boards, planks, 850., or ot'hoiler-plate iron, so as to form a still or cylinder practically water-tight. The ends of the wheel may be closed entirely from outer shell to shaft in the same way, as in fig. 1, or' a second cylinder, A, fig. 2, may he made inside the first, and at a distance from the outer shell about equal or a little greater than equal to the depth in the water at which the wheel is designed to operate, and only the space between the two at their ends be closed, if so preferred. Other things being equal, the latter construction will give the stronger wheel.

Extending around the periphery of the wheel is a series of ontwardly-projecting flanges, 0, say from fouroonsistcof heavy substantial ribs, sawed or cutout in any of the ways known in ship or boat-building, ,and they may be attached to the outer shell, or the shell built onto thennas may be preferred.

If the outer shell is made ofboiler-plate, it may be made first as boilers, tanks, 8m, are made, and the angle or T-iron riveted on to form the flanges, or the flanges may he .first made wholly or in segments, of angle or T-iron, and the. sheets of the shell riveted thereto.

Extending from one flange c to another a, over the face of the wheel angularly with the shaft a, and at any desired distance from each other, I attach a series of buckets d.

The inner edges of thescbuckets rest closely on the shell A, and the outer edges are about tlush with the outside of. the flanges o.

The angular arrangement of the buckets is that which I prefer.

By this construction of driving-wheel, that is, with close shell, flanges, and buckets angularly arr. iged, I am enabled to avoid all hack-lash, which, in the use of the ordinary open wheel, occasions a. greatloss of power, as well as a. serious and useless strain on the machinery; I y

I also confine the water while the wheel is in operation as'closely as it can be confined. The close harrel prevents its escaping over the top of the bucket, while its tendency to flow off along the inclined face of the bucket is checked by the flange opposite. Hence, the water can escape only by flowing under the lower or open face of the bucket, and even here, its tendency to escape is less than with the ordinary open wheel.

Under the bottom of a close whechnrade as described, not only is the water more closely confined, as above set fo1t-h,but also-all the pressure of the water around and above it is more effective in preventing its escape.

The, effect is the same as if the density of the water were increased at the point of operatioui; I thus save practically from twenty to thirty per cent. of the power, or, in other words, can get a' correspondingly increased result in the propulsion of the boat with the same ex pcndit-ure of power. Also, the wheel is equally eliicacious in backing as -in going ahead.

The object of making the wheel tight is to obviate the danger arising from logs, snags, cakes of ice, (to,

getting into the wheel, and to lessen liability to is sustained by the waiter nnder it. Hence the weight of the wheel will tend less to weigh down the stern .of the boat, and so inciease its draught.

Hence, what I claim as my invent-ion, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1..In combination with an outer shell, A, an inner shell, A, the distance between the shells being about equal to the depth in the water at which the wheel is designed to operate; the annular space between the shells being closed at the ends, substantially as descn'bed.

2. In combination with an outer close shell A, aseries of flanges, a, two or more in number, with interv- In testimony whereof, I, the said dimes, Rees,

have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES REES.

Witnesses:

A. S. NICHOLSON, G. H. OHRISTY. 

